Treasure in Jars of Clay

II Corinthians 4:6-7   

For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness" (Genesis 1:3), made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.   

What is in the jar is what is important, not the jar itself. When Jesus was "transfigured before them, His face shone like the sun" (Matthew 17:2), and when John was visited on the Isle of Patmos by Jesus, "His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance" (Revelation 1:16). When Moses spent 40 days on the Mountain in the presence of God, his face shone so much that he covered it with a veil so the people could look at him (Exodus 34:29-35). And we "all reflect the Lord's glory, being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit" (II Corinthians 3:18). Paul wrote of our Resurrection bodies in First Corinthians, chapter 15. As part of that discussion, he said, "We will not all sleep [die], but we all will be changed--in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality" (verses 51-53).

As we are being transformed now, gradually, to be fully transformed in the Resurrection, I visualize this continuing process now as though my body is a clay jar containing God's brilliant spiritual light. Light can't shine through opaque clay, but as the pressure comes and I seek His face and grow more godly, it's like God is replacing the clay molecules with molecules of clear crystal, or diamond, tiny bit at a time. So when I am in tune with God, and others see Him rather than me, it's because His glory is outshining my clay darkness through those minuscule cracks of crystal diamond.  So my clay jar is being transformed into a diamond vase, and one day I will "shine like the sun in the kingdom of [my] Father. He who has ears, let him hear" (Matthew 13:43).

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Hope - Riches - Power

Ephesians 1:17-20    

The Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation, [why?] so that you may know Him better.   

To be able to know who God is and what He's like takes His wisdom to discern and revelation from Him to see the truth about Him and His ways, to understand how it all fits together.   

The eyes of your heart may be enlightened 

in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, 

the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, 

and His incomparably great power for us who believe.

That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms.

The same power that raised Christ from the dead into a glorious Resurrection body, and even enthroned Him; that same power is working in me! In us! I have access to the strength, the ability, the skill to be transformed into the very image of Christ, to think His thoughts, do His works, accomplish His purposes! 

So what am I doing down here?   

The Utterance of God

John 1:1-18   

Paraphrased:

Before anything was, there was the Utterance. This Utterance was the Voice of God, and it was God's Voice. This vocal Utterance was the beginning of everything that is. Everything that exists is the result of this Voice saying it. Nothing could exist that wasn't spoken into existence. This Utterance is alive, and His life gives Light to mankind. This Light shines into our darkness, and our darkness refuses to understand it.

Then John came to tell us about that Light. He wasn't the Light, he only knew about it and told us, so that we would believe. The true Light was coming, that could give light to everyone. 

He came into the world, and although He created the world, it did not want to acknowledge Him. He even came to His own Chosen People, but they didn't even want to accept Him. But all those who would accept Him, He caused to be born into God's own Family, conceived not through natural, fleshly means, but from God Himself.  

This Utterance took upon Himself human nature and lived with us. We are eye-witnesses to His magnificence, the majesty of the Only One, Son of God the Father, filled with grace and Truth.

John is giving his legal testimony--he announces clearly that: This is the Man I talked about before, that the Man who appears after me has the pre-eminence before me, because He existed before I was born. We have all received blessings on top of blessings from the super-abundance of His grace. Moses gave us the Law--Grace and Truth are brought to us by Jesus Christ. God the Father cannot be seen by the human eye, but God the Son, who is equal in substance to the Father, has shown Him to us.   

Wake us up, Father!

II Chronicles 7:12-14   

Pray it:

O my Father, You have told us that, "When I shut up the heavens so there is no rain," for us that would be, "Afflict your economy so that there are no jobs, no income;" or "Command the locusts to devour the land," for us that would be, "Send the bill collectors and tax men to eat up all you have saved for the future, for retirement;" or , "Send a plague among my people," for us that would be, "Cause your Federal Government to rob you of your personal and states rights;" then Father, please open our eyes to see that this is what You are doing, and wake up Your people, to humble ourselves before You, acknowledging that You are calling us to seek Your face, turning away from all the worldly and wicked schemes we've relied on, and ask Your forgiveness for these ways, and instead living our lives in honesty and love for You and our fellow sojourners, following Your ways and attitudes.  O Father God, hear our prayer; forgive our sins, teach us Your ways, to heal this land that once served You.  Turn us back to Yourself, O Lord, show the nations of the world how You bless Your own, and draw them, also, to Your beautiful self.   

Worry

Matthew 6: 25-34   

Personalized:

Oh Bonnie, you don't need to worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear.  Don't you consider your life more important than food and your body more important than your clothes?  Bonnie, look at the birds; they don't garden or store up food yet your Father feeds them.  Aren't you much more valuable than they are?  How can worryng add anything to your life? And why, Bonnie, do you worry about your clothes? See how the wild lilies grow.  They don't work or make cloth; yet I tell you that even Solomon in all his splendor was not dressed as beautifully as one of these flowers, which bloom today and wither tonight!  Oh, Bonnie, don't have such small faith that you question what you may have to wear, or to eat or drink! Those who are worldly run after all these worldly things.  But you, Bonnie, set your focus on God's kingdom, and build His righteousness into your daily life; and all these worldly things will also be given to you while you are in this world and need them.  So don't worry about tomorrow, Bonnie, my dear; tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Loving

Matthew 22:34-40    

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharasees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"

Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."    

I personalized this:

Bonnie, I want you to love Me with all your emotion, with all your psyche and with all your intelligence. Love Me with your passion, with your understanding and with your knowledge of Me. I want you, Bonnie, to love Me with everything I made you to be.   

And I want you to express your love for Me in every relationship you have--to love other people with the same thoughtful consideration you would give Me, or even yourself. If you do this, Bonnie, then you will be obeying and carrying out all My commandments, all My will for you.